A Beautiful Woman With Simple Worries

(c) 2008 F. Bruce Abel

9:12 AM 11/2/2008


Canvassing in Arlington Heights, Saturday, November 1, 2008:

[names changed to protect the innocent mother and the guilty son]

Beautiful warming light of the mid-afternoon of a perfect 70 degree "football and Obama-anticipation" Saturday put me in a mellow mood as I approached the next-to-last house to call on from my well-worn packet.

I was tired from walking but oh so very uplifted at meeting the people
in this all-white enclave of leafy industrial/residential streets cut off by the east-west B&O railroad and the north-south I-75.

In 1969 the tornado had wiped out the trailer park right next to I-75.

McClusky Auto now stood forlornly near that corner.

And Obama coming to Nippert Stadium tomorrow night!

Sherri "Pillich" (pseudo name) answered the door:
42, a beautiful short woman in polo shirt and shorts, but obviously disabled, happy to see me after I identified myself as an Obama canvasser.

She was listed on my sheet as a "1" meaning: "will on Tuesday/has voted early," for Obama. I was the third Obama contact out of our Obama Springfield Pike Office to contact her within the last three days(!) , this time personally to hand out a flyer/ticket announcing that Obama would be coming to Nippert Stadium.

I had first thought no one was at home. As I dug into my bag to put the flyer under her mat the door opened, and she greeted me half standing and half leaning against a couch, which couch obviously had been permanently placed to enable her deformed body to answer the door yet stand to greet visitors at the door.

"I'm worried that the Republicans will take away my social security. We cannot have another four years of this."

Her son, also on my list, I'll call Terry "Driehaus" (pseudo name), 23, and she said he was "incarcerated."

"Felonious assault.  My lawyer negotiated a plea deal where the judge would sentence him to two years, but the TV camaras came in for the sentencing and the judge gave him six years."